Railway-signal



(No Model.)

W. F. Z. DESANT.

RAILWAY SIGNAL.

No. 435,558. Patented Sept. ,2. 1890.

V gmmmm W 7. Z. OM 3513 aflozneq/b/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC \VILLIAM F. Z. DESANT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE DESANT ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 435,558, dated September 2, 1890.

Application filed October 31, 1889. Serial No. 328,812. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. Z. DESANT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, county of New York, and State of New York, have made a new and useful Invention in Railway-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in railway-signals of that type known in the art as block-signals, and in which the apparatus is regulated in its action or controlled by electricity.

In a prior patent granted by the United States jointly to Horace Hayden, Jr., and myself February 26, 1889, bearing No. 398,613, is disclosed a system of electrical block signaling for railways in which the successive si nals in theblock-sections are operated through the agency of electrically-controlled devices and the location of trains on the blocks made apparent to the engineers in the cabs of the engines as they approach the entrance of each block by sounding an alarm on board the engine if the preceding section is not clear. In that patent are disclosed two operating batteries at the end of each of the blocks with electro-magnets and circuit-connections for operating the signals in advance and rear and for sounding an alarm on the engine-cab in the event of an advance section being obstructed by a preceding train or engine. One of these batteries has for its function the operation of the signal on board the engine by circuit-connections through the wheels of the engine, a local magnet, and the wheels of the cab back to starting-point, the other battery operating the block apparatus in each direction.

of a system of electrical block railway-signals,

disclosing three blocks with the electrical circuits therefor. Fig. 2 is a detail view of that portion of the apparatus carried on board the engine or train for sounding the alarm thereon.

Referring to the drawings in detail, R R are the rails of a single-track railway, one line of which is divided at the points a, a and a by insulation into block-sections 1, 2, and 3. In the prior patent above referred to the construction was such as to require supplemental short insulated sections, which feature I avoid by my improvement.

'w w and w w are the signaling-circuits running to the advance and rear ends of each block, and M, M, and M the signal-magnets, A A A being the armatures thereof.

w w w are the local circuits for the batteries B B B.

B B B are the signal-batteries for controlling the block-signal apparatus through the agency of magnets M M M having armatures A A A I I I are insulating-blocks on the armatures A A A L L are locomotive-engines, each of which carries its own signal apparatus, consisting, preferably, of a whistle W, having a valve or cook V, controlled by a lever e and hook-connections with the armature-lever A of local magnet M 0, O, and O are inductors of any preferred kind included in the local circuits to w of batteries 13 B B, said inductors being fixedly located in the road-bed and in such relation to the moving trains that as said trains pass over them they will inductively effect the secondary inductors O carried beneath the locomotive or car in which the signalingmagnet M and its circuit is placed. These inductors, both primary and secondary, have preferably magnetic cores; but they may be omitted and the inductive positions of said parts be arranged to obtain the secondary currents in any manner known to those skilled in the art.

The operation is as follows: The engine L being on section 1, the armature of magnet M at the entrance of that section is tilted with its upper end to the right, and the circuit of battery B is closed through the spring 8, circuit w, and track-inductor C, so that when engine L passes over this trackinductor a current is induced in the secondary inductor 0 carried by the engine. This current energizes magnet M and releases the lever ein a manner at once obvious, thereby announcing to the engineer that the engine L has not passed out of section 1. When the engine L passes out of section 1, circuit is made through each wheel of the engine and cars as it passes over the joint a from battery B, through the lower half of magnet M, at station No. I to the upper half of magnet M at station No. II and back by wire w to joint or, thus turning the armatures A A to danger in the first instance for the section next beyond 1, and to safety in. the second instance for engine L, now entering section 1, the passage of L into section 1 displaying danger at station No. II to incoming engine and safety at station No. III. The signaling mechanisms at the ends of the blocks may be of any preferred type and controlled by the armatures- A, A, A 850., in any preferred manner, block-signals controlled by -electromagnets being well known in the art. An example of block signals so controlled is illustrated in patent to F. L. Pope, No.129,425, of July 16, 1872. The alarm of course continues to sound until the lever e is restored to its normal position by hand. Shouldthe engine pass the inductors C at the entrance of any section and receive an alarm, the engineer will of course ascertainwhen'itis safe to proceed by moving his engine back and forth over the inductor or by taking notice of the position of the armatureA, A, or A or its indicating mechanism of usual form.

With this improved apparatus there is little dangert-hat lightning will disturb the signals, the signaling-circu its being always open between the sections at a a a 850., and virtuallyearthed through the rails on each side of the controlling-magnets. Surety of action is hadfor the reason that the circuit is closed between the sections on the passageof each car, while there is no unnecessary conducting-circuit between the track and 'the engine or car carrying the movinginductor and its circuit-connections.

I am aware that it is broadly old to cause an inductor carried by a locomotive-engine to indicate inductively through a second inductor located in the road-bed and wires leading to a distant electrical signalthat such engine is approaching the point where the signal is located, and I make no claims to this feature.

I am also aware that it is old in railway-car telegraphs to transmit signals between two or more moving trains which have no mechanical or electrical connections with the track or adjoining inductors through the agency of inductive apparatus, and that it is old to operate railway-signals of the block type, in which signals are transmitted to the locomotive-cab or a car inductively, said signals being controlled in the successive blocks by circuit-closers frictionally operated by the moving train, and I therefore make no claim to such constructions, my invention being directed to the application of the principle of controlling the movement of trains in asystem of block signaling wholly by inductive signals from the advance and rear blocks, wherein the entire control of the block system is due to the inductive action of the apparatus, there being in my system no mechanical connection between the moving trains and any part of the signaling apparatus, and the position of the block-signals being controlled through the agency of battery-circuits and the direct action of the car-wheels themselves acting as.-

circuit-closers; but 7 What I do claim, and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the United States,.is-

1. Ina railway-signalisystem of the block' type, a line of rails divided into blocks sepa 4 rated or insulated electrically fromeach other at the ends of the blocks, in combination with signaling-circuits for each block, local. circuits, including inductors controlled by the signaling-circuits, and a secondary inductorcircuit carried by a moving train andinclud ing alarm mechanism, substantially as. described.

2. In a railway-signal system of theblock type, a .series of signaling-circuits having electrical connectionswith the ends of elec trically-insulated lines or blocks of rails, in combination with local signal-circuits, including inductive devices located near the roadbed, and a secondary inductor-circuit carried by a moving train and including alarmmechamsm, substantially as described.

3. In a railway-signal of the block type, a'

seriesof signaling-circuits, including signaling-magnets and having electricalconnections with the ends of electrically-insulated blocks of rails, in combination withlocalcircuits, including inductors at the end of each block,

controlled by said signalingmircuits, and a secondary inductor-circuit carried bywa locomotive and including alarm mechanism, substantially as described.

4. In a railway-signal of the block type, a series of signaling-magnets, one pair for each block, a pair of circuits for said magnets, one running to the front and the other to the rear of two adjoining blocks, a battery at each block for energizing said magnets, a local circuit, including a double armature adaptedto beinfluenced by said magnets in turn, and an inductor located in-close proximity to the track, in combinationwith a second inductor carried by a moving train in close proximity to the first-named inductor as .said train passes it, said second inductor including in 5. In a railway-signal of the block type, a:

pair of signaling-magnets at one end of each block, a pair of circuits and batteries, one for each magnet, said circuits running to the front and rear of each block and including circuitconnections for closing said batteries through said magnets in succession, a tilting armature-lever having an armature for each magnet and included in the local circuit at the end of each block, with a stationary inductor located near the road-bed, and a second inductor carried by the train in close proximity to the first-named inductors, and including in its circuit an electro-magnet the armature of which controls a signal, substantially as described. I

6. In a railway-signal of the block-type, the combination of signaling-magnets M M M batteries B, circuits w w, local circuits w w, batteries B, armature-levers A A A inductors O 0 G with a secondary local inductor 0 carried by a moving train, and including in its circuit an electro-magnet M and signaling mechanism, substantially as described.

WM. F. Z. DESANT.

Witnesses:

LEONARD PAGET, A. E. MCKECHNIE. 

